Letterman, Leno Pair Up for Super Bowl Commercial

If you thought the bad blood between Jay Leno and David Letterman would keep the two late-night stalwarts in separate rooms for the rest of their lives, think again: The constantly-clashing duo teamed up -- along with Oprah Winfrey -- for a Super Bowl commercial plugging Dave's show. The surprise factor (and sheer awkwardness) of the spot made it one of the night's most memorable.

The ad, which was a reprise of a 2007 ad that Letterman did with Winfrey, was meant to poke fun at the recent tension between Jay and Dave sparked by the 'Tonight Show' battle that eventually led to Conan O'Brien leaving NBC.

In the commercial, a disgruntled Letterman declares that he's at "the worst Super Bowl party ever." Seconds later, the camera pans away to reveal Leno, who admits that Dave "is just saying that because I'm here."

Letterman and Leno did in fact film the commercial together, as Oprah Winfrey tweeted seconds after the ad ran that it was shot this week at the Ed Sullivan Theater with all three in attendance.

So, How Did This Happen?

According to Rob Burnett, who produces Dave's 'Late Show,' it was all Letterman's idea.

"Dave had this idea, 'What about getting Jay and Oprah together with me?' and he wrote it," Burnett explained in an interview with the Associated Press Sunday night. "We said, 'This is too funny to pass up.' First we called Oprah."

Arrangements were quickly made for Leno and Winfrey to fly to New York, and much detail was given to getting them inside the Ed Sullivan Theater unnoticed.

"We really wanted to keep this under wraps," he said. "There were a lot of internal logistical conversations about how to even get Jay and Oprah into our building secretly."

Filming took place last Tuesday. Leno arrived while Letterman was taping his show. He was disguised in a hooded sweatshirt, dark glasses and a fake mustache. No joke. Filming took less than a half-hour, Burnett said.

"It was quick, it was easy," he said. "The attitude was professional and cordial. Dave and Jay were fine with each other."

What About Conan?

Burnett told The Wrap that Conan O'Brien was initially thought about when conceiving the ad. But alas, the timing wasn't right for a Jay-Dave-Conan summit and it never got off the ground.

"There was an initial thought of having Dave, Jay and Conan together in the spot," Burnett said. "I did call Jeff Ross (O'Brien's producer) to talk about it."

Unfortunately, the idea came about just as O'Brien was finishing up his run on 'The Tonight Show,' so he was a bit too busy to entertain the idea.

"It wasn't as if they even said no," Burnett said. "I just think they weren't in a position to consider it all."

The two hosts have had a tumultuous relationship for decades, but it was recently rekindled thanks to Leno's reclaiming of the 'Tonight Show' on NBC. In the days leading up to O'Brien's departure, Letterman ripped Leno on several occasions, calling his behavior that pushed Conan out "vintage Jay."

Strangely enough, the commercial is an ad for Letterman's show, which Leno will soon compete directly against once again when he returns to his 11:30 slot following the Olympics.

I cannot believe all the haters in here. You people have no sense of humor. That ad was funny and a kick in the pants to all of the media who created all that tension over the past 2 months. It would have been even funnier if Conan was on the couch too. Whether you like them or not, they ALL have millions of fans to go with their millions of dollars! Get over it!

When NBC announced that Conan would replace Leno, I knew right then that unless Conan totally changed his persona, I would never make an effort to watch him. I absolutely detest Conan and would not watch him unless you paid me an awful lot of money. A lot of money!And even then, I'd ignore him.

As for Letterman, I don't care for him or his obnoxious attitude. If Leno were not on, I would never watch Letterman.

And Leno.........He's only an 7 out of 10 because of his persistant use of sexually oriented material. He is a lot funnier without all the sexual jokes and references.